{"id":17035,"date":"2023-05-14T11:02:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-14T18:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/hse-to-target-site-dust-in-summer-crackdown\/"},"modified":"2023-05-14T11:02:06","modified_gmt":"2023-05-14T18:02:06","slug":"hse-to-target-site-dust-in-summer-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/hse-to-target-site-dust-in-summer-crackdown\/","title":{"rendered":"HSE to target site dust in summer crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"-\"<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

\n

Targeted visits by HSE inspectors will start next month and run through until July.<\/p>\n

Each year in the construction industry, there are thousands of preventable cases of irreversible lung disease due to past exposure to dust at work.<\/p>\n

HSE\u2019s chief inspector of construction, Michael Thomas, said: \u201cEvery year we see construction workers die from diseases caused or made worse by their work. This is unacceptable in the 21st century, when occupational lung disease is preventable.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are urging employers and workers to take the necessary precautions today to protect their long-term lung health, to avoid them and their families suffering from the devastating impact that can result.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspections will specifically focus on dust control, checking employers and workers know the risks, plan their work, and are using the right controls.<\/p>\n

Inspectors will be checking the control\u00a0measures in place to protect workers from inhaling construction dusts including silica (Respirable Crystalline Silica\/RCS) and wood dust.\u00a0 They will also gain assurances that asbestos containing materials have been identified and removed or managed where necessary to prevent or reduce exposure.<\/p>\n

Thomas added: \u201cOur inspectors will visit a range of construction sites to check businesses are taking the necessary action to ensure their workers\u2019 long-term respiratory health is being protected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough \u00a0engaging with those on site, we can make sure they have considered the job from start to finish, have considered the risks at each stage, and are managing the risks with effective measures in line with the broad hierarchy of control options such as water suppression, extraction, and as a last resort Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n